Sump pump activation switch

ABSTRACT

A switching device for submersed sump pump. The switching device employs an internal logic circuit inside a housing having a metallic member extending therefrom for mounting. The member is adapted to engage with the curved surface of a hose and hose clamp engaged to the sump pump. The member is engaged to the electrical ground to communicate a reference ground to the fluid in the sump to allow an impedance sensor to discern the fluid level and cause the logic circuit to energize or de-energize the sump pump.

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/937,599 filed Jun. 27, 2007, and incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed device relates to fluid activated switches for electrical devices. More particularly, the disclosed device relates to a switch for a sump pump having a hose mount that imparts a ground reference to the water or fluid while concurrently insuring the user self-installs the device at a proper level in the water to ensure proper operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sump pumps are commonly employed on boats and ships to ensure that the bilge tanks do not overflow and are promptly and automatically emptied when needed. Another common function of a sump pump is to protect a basement from flooding.

In such installations, the pump is conventionally activated when water or other fluid reaches a certain level in the sump tank or bilge. Once activated by a switch the pump pumps out the excess water or fluid in the tank.

Many switches have been employed over the many years of sump pumps. One type of switch is a float switch is the part of the sump pump that activates the pump when water reaches a certain threshold. Essentially, a float on the end of a control rod rises and falls with water levels. At some lever in the rise, the switch activates the pump to remove fluid. Once the float switch settles to a new level as water is evacuated, it will turn off the pump. Due to harsh operating conditions, especially in a marine environment, a float switch is usually the first part of a sump pump to break, so it is recommended to choose a sump pump whose float switch is easily replaceable.

Another type of pump switch is the diaphragm switch which is engaged to the body of the pump which is immersed under water. A membrane in the diaphragm switch is sensitive to water pressure. As the water level rises, the water pressure increases and the diaphragm becomes concave, thereby activating the switch to turn on the sump pump. When the water level drops, the switch turns off. Such switches in a marine environment with oil and debris in the water are subject to problems and mechanical failure. Further the rocking of a boat can cause the water in the tank to push on the diaphragm and activate the pump in a condition that is too low for the pump to operate.

In the highly dynamic application such as the bilge of a small boat, as the boat bounces from wave to wave, a pivoting float will cause the switch to close many times per minute even without water in the bilge. This needlessly consumes the switch contact so that the system has a relatively short life. Further, a diaphragm switch can suffer the same fate due to moving fluid in the bilge from the moving and rocking boat.

A more modern switch employs electronic switching using sensors to ascertain the presence of water or fluid sufficient to require pump activation. Generally, such electronic devices employ a plurality of electrical contacts with the fluid with one to impart an electrical signal or other aspect to the fluid which is picked up by the other sensor. Or, the second sensor may negate the signal imparted if fluid is present and fail to do so when it is not. Many such devices use some type of electronic sensing that employs a reference to battery ground to the signal received to ascertain the presence of water and turn on the pump. The sensor continually sensing the fluid for an electronic property such as voltage, current, inductance impedance, resistance, or one or a combination of such electronic properties, will generally be under the fluid when activating the pump, and will turn the pump off if not under the fluid. The monitoring sensor is seeking the electronic property imparted to the fluid by a second component which must always be below fluid level for the device to work. It is extremely important that the plurality of electronic contacts for such devices to be properly immersed in the fluid to be pumped. If one of the electronic contacts is mounted too high and out of the fluid, the electronic switch cannot function to turn on the pump since no signal is transmitted or received to cause it.

However, since most such pump switches are user-installed, and because users fail to read directions, or view the electronic contacts and assume the wrong mounting scheme, many electronic switches for sump pumps fail or perform poorly.

As such, there exists an unmet need for a sump pump switch which will endure the harsh marine environment and moving fluid in a bilge or other tank, to properly activate a sump pump. Such a device should employ electronic communicating contacts with the fluid which provide and receive a signal through the fluid which ascertains the presence or absence of the fluid. Such a device should impart a ground reference to the fluid such that it can be accurately measured should the bilge be poorly grounded. Finally, and of major importance, such a device, being generally user-replaced, should provide a mounting configuration which ensures that the sensor is properly submersed in the fluid it monitors and thereby avoids confusion or assumption by the user as to proper mounting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed device is a float switch replacement for a marine bilge sump pump or other sump pump which is immersed in a fluid such as water in a storage tank such as a bilge or sump tank.

The device employs an electronic circuit to constantly sample the fluid for an electronic property using a first sensor that communicates through the casing with the fluid. A second contact is employed to affect the electronic property by proving a ground to the fluid such that the electronic property can ascertain the presence of fluid and turn on the pump.

In the current device, the electric property is a capacitance load of the bilge water that is monitored. An analog inverter CMOS chip oscillates at approximately 10,000 hertz. A frequency is generated into the fluid which is referenced at the water sensor. Through the sensor, a logic circuit looks for a change in frequency to activate the pump. Water covering a metallic component will change the frequency sufficiently to flip the logic circuit to turn on power to the pump, however ungrounded tanks such as fiberglass tanks or those on fiberglass boats, and improperly mounted sensor components communicating with the fluid, will cause the switch to malfunction. A ground communicating with the battery providing power to the logic circuit, submersed in the fluid, enhances the performance of the logic circuit by providing a better reference to ground through the fluid.

This problem with improperly mounted sensors and poor ground reference has been exacerbated in prior manufactured devices which have employed a casing wherein the two or more metal electronic monitor components communicating through the casing, have to be properly oriented in the fluid. Users installing such devices frequently do not read the directions and install them incorrectly. Most such devices employ screw apertures to mount the device in the tank and invite improper installation by installers who assume one or both metal components must be below water level.

Most sump pumps employ a fluid intake under a bottom or very low side surface for intake of fluid. A pump inside the pump casing exhausts fluid through an exhaust hose which is routed to drain the bilge or tank. The hose is conventionally engaged to a hose bib on the pump with a hose clamp. This hose clamp and bib are conventionally located just above the intake by design since the intake is conventionally located as low as possible in the tank in which the pump is placed.

The novel casing provided with the device employs two components which enhance performance of the internal electronic switch. First, since the hose bib on sump pumps is conventionally located above the lower water intake which is the lowest point the water will reach, providing a mounting member that extends from the casing to mount the device to the hose bib, inherently mounts the casing, and sensing and monitoring component, just above the lowest point the water can reach. This is exactly the correct placement for the sensor and by providing a mounting member with a curved lower surface, adapted to engage under the hose clamp, the user inherently will mount the casing correctly even if they fail to read the installation directions which is a frequent occurrence.

Additionally, the mounting member is connected to the battery ground. By mounting it to the mounting member which will encounter the fluid, a very good ground reference is imparted to the fluid before or at the same time the fluid reaches the sensing component looking for an electronic property in the fluid to ascertain fluid levels at or above the sensing component to activate the switch to turn on the pump. On fiberglass boats and tanks, this properly located reference to ground greatly enhances switch performance. On older boats corroded tanks, an equal gain in performance is provided by this novel inherently properly positioned grounding component.

It is thus an object of this invention to provide a switch for a sump pump which has a member extending from the casing which provides a curved surface to engage under a hose clamp conventionally employed on hoses engaged to a submerged sump pump.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a sump pump switch with the hose clamp mount adapted member which will inherently cause users to properly situate the device in the fluid to properly sense fluid level.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a casing to house electronic sensing components which will properly situate broadcasting and receiving electronic elements in the fluid by simply engaging the casing to a hose bib under a hose claim on the pump being switched.

With respect to the above description and background, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components and/or steps set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The various apparatus and methods of the invention herein described and disclosed are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art once they review this disclosure. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other devices, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device a sump pump switch and casing therefor which is adapted with mounting members which inherently place the device properly in the fluid for its sensors to operate. It is important, therefore, that the objects and claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology, insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts front perspective cut view of the disclosed sump pump switch and the switch housing having an extending grounded mounting member which is curved and adapted for engagement under a hose clamp on the hose bib of a sump pump.

FIG. 1 a shows the device of FIG. 1 engaged to the house and hose bib and the fluid level engaging the sensor.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional sump pump and the hose bib upon which the mounting member is engaged under a hose clamp holding a fluid exhaust hose to the pump.

FIG. 3 depicts typical prior art wherein two sensors or electronic contacts are provided and must be carefully mounted to assure proper positioning in the fluid.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the electronic components electronically engaged to energize or de-energize the pump.

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of an enhanced version of the device showing a plurality of sensors for ascertaining fluid level and energizing the pump.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings in FIGS. 1-5, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the disclosed sump pump switch device 10 having a housing 12 having and extending grounded metal mounting member 14 which has a curve about its center axis or curved edge 16 portion. The electronic components for the impedance sensing device are engaged inside the housing 12 in a fashion that seals them from fluid in the tank. Wires (not shown) communicate to the circuit inside the housing 12 to provide electric energy to the circuit.

The mounting member 14 is connected inside the housing 12 to the ground wire or circuit providing electric power to the device 10 thereby providing the mounting member 14 a direct electrical link to the ground of the electrical system or battery. The curved shape of the mounting member 14 provides it with a means for cooperative surface engagement with the curved surface of a sump pump exhaust hose 17 which is engaged over a hose bib 18 and secured with a hose clamp on the hose bib 18 of a sump pump 20. However, those skilled in the art will realize that other shapes may provide such an engagement for instance having a planar shape to the mounting member 14 and having a width narrower than the diameter of the hose 17.

Conventionally, as depicted in FIG. 2, most such sump pumps 20 employ a fluid intake 22 under a bottom or very low side surface of the pump 20 for intake of the water or fluid from a tank or other water collection container in which they are mounted. An electric pump inside the pump casing 23 exhausts fluid through an exhaust hose 17 (FIG. 1) from the hose bib 18 just above the fluid intake 22. It is important to keep the pump 20 primed with fluid for proper operation and protection of the blades or rotors or other pump components. Consequently, leaving sufficient water or fluid in the bottom of the tank to maintain the pump 20 primed, at a water level 15 at least above the intake 22 and preferably somewhere between the hose bib 18 and the surface bottom 21 of the tank in which the pump 20 sits, is important to its operation and longevity.

The device 10 features a novel casing 12 and mounting member 14 which serves to automatically position the device 10 to achieve a preferred fluid level 15 above the bottom 21 of the tank to ensure protection of the pump 20 from running dry and proper operation. The device 10 in this mounted position shown in FIG. 1 a, is engaged electronically with the electrical power providing energy to operate the pump 20 and to turn the pump 20 on and off when electronic properties in the fluid are sensed by a sensor 13. Once the level of fluid goes below the top edge of the sensor 13 when the device 10 engaged in the mounted position to the hose bib 18, the power is interrupted by the device 10 to the pump 20 thereby turning off the pump 20.

The mounting member 14 which extends from the casing 12 to engage under the hose clamp 19 on the hose bib 18, allows users to simply mount the device 10 on the bib 18 and hose 17 and know it is correctly placed. Further, because of the potential that the tank in which the device is mounted will be ungrounded or have a poor ground, in a particularly preferred mode of the device 10, the member 14 is engaged to battery ground to give a better ground reference to the circuit monitoring the fluid impedance. The member 14 when in contact with the fluid in the tank, thus communicates a ground reference to the fluid. This communication of the ground reference is enhanced by the engagement of the metal hose clamp 19 to the member 14 by increasing contact area with the fluid.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional sump pump 20 and the hose bib 18 under which the mounting member is engaged under a hose clamp 19 as in FIG. 1. As can be seen, most such pumps position the hose bib 18 for the hose carrying fluid from the tank, above the intake 22.

Shown in FIG. 3 is the typical sump pump 20 switch 23 employed in many fluid collection tanks. This type of switch employs two sensors 24 which both must be positioned within the fluid and therefor must be carefully mounted to assure proper positioning in the fluid. Such conventional sensors are generally engaged to the tank surface or simply placed inside the tank itself. Frequently, users make the mistake of leaving one of the sensors 24 out of the fluid on the mistaken assumption that fluid contacting both sensors 24 activates the pump.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred mode of a switching or logic circuit 30 employed herein and engaged inside the housing 12. The circuit 30 receives power from the battery or other power system of the boat or other location where the device 10 is employed. The member 14 is engaged to the ground from the power supply and as noted communicates a ground reference to the fluid in the tank. The sensor 13 communicating with the fluid in the tank continuously provides the logic circuit 30 with an impedance reading for the fluid or water which has the ground reference being communicated from the metallic member 14. When the logic circuit 30 discerns from the sensor 13, that impedance has changed from a preset point, because the fluid level 15 covers all, or more, or less, surface area of the sensor 13, it will cause a switching of electrical energy from the power supply to energize the load 32 which in this case is the pump 20 to be initiated.

However, because boats frequently encounter swells and other motions which cause fluid level 15 to change drastically as it sloshes in the tank, thereby altering the fluid impedance reading, a delay on 35 will initially prevent switching on of the pump 20 for a time duration. The same problem of sloshing fluid can also cause fluid levels 15 in the tank to temporarily fall to a point where the sensor 13 detects the fluid impedance to have fallen outside the range to switch on the pump 20. In this instance, in the preferred mode of the device 10, a delay off 37 is initiated to maintain the pump 20 energized for a time delay wherein the device 10 takes additional readings of fluid impedance from the sensor 13 before switching of the power to the pump 20.

As can be discerned, by providing a ground communication to the metallic member 14, and providing a shape to the member 14 adapting it to engage on the hose and hose bib of the output hose, the sensor 13 of the device 10 is always properly positioned to measure if the fluid level 15 covers the sensor entirely, partially, or not at all, which will vary the fluid impedance levels communicated to the circuit 30 allowing onboard software to discern whether energizing or de-energizing the pump 20 is in order. The time delays for either option, while not required for the device 10 to operate substantially better than conventional switches, are preferred to allow for the uncertainty of water level 15 movement due to tank movement caused by the boat traveling, turning, or encountering rough water.

Further, while fluid impedance is the current preferred electrical property measured by the circuit 30 through communication with the sensor 13, and the enhancement of such measurement is provided by the communication of a ground reference to the fluid, those skilled in the art will no doubt realize, upon reading this disclosure, that other electrical properties might be communicated to the fluid by the member 14 and then measured by the circuit 30 in contact with the sensor 13 to ascertain the fluid level 15 in the tank. As such, any electrical property that might be communicated to the fluid level through the member 14 and measured by the logic circuit 30 to energize and de-energize the pump 20 based on fluid levels 15 discerned as would occur to those skilled in the art is anticipated to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Employing the logic circuit 30 and the enhanced ground reference to the fluid, the device 10 may also be combined with other sensors of fluid level 15 or system operation as another means to operate the pump 20 only as required by fluid levels 15. In this mode of the device 10 the logic circuit 30 having onboard software adapted to the task, would continuously monitor a plurality of sensors of system performance and fluid level 15.

The water sensor 13 would continue to provide fluid impedance levels. Additionally monitored can be a float switch 36 which would operate to close upon the fluid level 15 reaching a defined level. A motor load sensor 38 which would monitor the amount of power being drawn by the pump 20 since less power is drawn when no fluid is being drawn through the pump 20. An air pressure monitor 39 would monitor the air pressure inside the tank holding the pump 20 and device 10 as such pressure can vary depending on the fluid level 15 in the tank.

The logic circuit in this mode of the device 10 would require one or a plurality of inputs to signal that the fluid level 15 was sufficient to energize the pump 20 or insufficient and de-energize the pump 20. The delay off 37 and delay on 35 would operate probably with a shorter time duration since a plurality of sensors of fluid level 15 would be communicating to the logic circuit 30 the fluid level 15. This mode of the device 10 provides a great enhancement to sump pump 20 monitoring and protection by continuously monitoring a plurality of indicators of fluid level 15 which serves to avoid errors by the logic circuit 30 in accidental activation or deactivation of the pump 20.

Finally, it is to be understood that elements of different construction and configuration and different steps and process procedures and other arrangements thereof, other than those illustrated and described, may be employed for a sump pump switch with hose mounting member within the spirit of this invention.

As such, while the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modifications, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it will be appreciated that in some instance some features of the invention could be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. All such changes, alternations and modifications as would occur to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the scope of this invention as broadly defined in the appended claims. 

1. A sump pump switch, for activation of an electrically powered sump pump comprising: a housing having an internal cavity, said housing adapted for mounting in a collection tank having fluid therein; a logic circuit housed in said internal cavity, said logic circuit operatively engaged to an electrical power source; a first sensor in contact with said fluid, said first sensor communicating an electrical impedance level in said fluid to said logic circuit; said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump upon said first sensor communicating a said electrical impedance level in said fluid past an impedance level threshold which indicates a fluid level in said collection tank, equal to or above a threshold level, said logic circuit switching electrical power to de-energize said sump pump upon said first sensor communicating a said electrical impedance level in said fluid past below said impedance level threshold; and whereby said sump pump is energized to pump said fluid from said collection tank upon said fluid reaching said impedance level threshold and is de-energized to cease pumping said fluid when said fluid falls below said impedance level threshold.
 2. The sump pump switch of claim 1 additionally comprising: a first time delay to delay said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump for a time duration; and a second time delay to delay said logic circuit switching electrical power to de-energize said sump pump, for a second time duration.
 3. The sump pump switch of claim 1 additionally comprising: a member extending from said housing; and said member adapted to engage between a hose clamp and a hose which extends from a hose bib on said sump pump, to an engaged position in said collection tank.
 4. The sump pump switch of claim 2 additionally comprising: a member extending from said housing; and said member adapted to engage between a hose clamp and a hose which extends from a hose bib on said sump pump, to an engaged position in said collection tank.
 5. The sump pump switch of claim 3 additionally comprising: said member having a metallic portion; said metallic portion in communication with the negative electrode of said electrical power source; and said metallic portion communicating a ground reference to said fluid in said collection tank.
 6. The sump pump switch of claim 4 additionally comprising: said member having a metallic portion; said metallic portion in communication with the negative electrode of said electrical power source; and said metallic portion communicating a ground reference to said fluid in said collection tank.
 7. The sump pump switch of claim 3 additionally comprising: said first sensor having a surface area extending around a center point on a surface of said first sensor; and said member extending from said housing from a position on said housing substantially inline with said center point.
 8. The sump pump switch of claim 4 additionally comprising: said first sensor having a surface area extending around a center point of said surface area of said first sensor; and said member extending from said housing from a position on said housing substantially inline with said center point.
 9. The sump pump switch of claim 5 additionally comprising: said first sensor having a surface area extending around a center point of said surface area of said first sensor; and said member extending from said housing from a position on said housing substantially inline with said center point.
 10. The sump pump switch of claim 6 additionally comprising: said first sensor having a surface area extending around a center point of said surface area of said first sensor; and said member extending from said housing from a position on said housing substantially inline with said center point.
 11. The sump pump switch of claim 5 additionally comprising: said logic circuit communicating with at least one of a group of sensing components consisting of a float switch, and pump load sensor, and an air pressure sensor of a pressure level inside said collection tank; and said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump only if said at least one of said group of sensing components communicates sensory data indicating said fluid level in said collection tank is equal to or above said threshold level.
 12. The sump pump switch of claim 6 additionally comprising: said logic circuit communicating with at least one of a group of sensing components consisting of a float switch, and pump load sensor, and an air pressure sensor of a pressure level inside said collection tank; and said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump only if said at least one of said group of sensing components communicates sensory data indicating said fluid level in said collection tank is equal to or above said threshold level.
 13. The sump pump switch of claim 7 additionally comprising: said logic circuit communicating with at least one of a group of sensing components consisting of a float switch, and pump load sensor, and an air pressure sensor of a pressure level inside said collection tank; and said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump only if said at least one of said group of sensing components communicates sensory data indicating said fluid level in said collection tank is equal to or above said threshold level.
 14. The sump pump switch of claim 8 additionally comprising: said logic circuit communicating with at least one of a group of sensing components consisting of a float switch, and pump load sensor, and an air pressure sensor of a pressure level inside said collection tank; and said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump only if said at least one of said group of sensing components communicates sensory data indicating said fluid level in said collection tank is equal to or above said threshold level.
 15. The sump pump switch of claim 9 additionally comprising: said logic circuit communicating with at least one of a group of sensing components consisting of a float switch, and pump load sensor, and an air pressure sensor of a pressure level inside said collection tank; and said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump only if said at least one of said group of sensing components communicates sensory data indicating said fluid level in said collection tank is equal to or above said threshold level.
 16. The sump pump switch of claim 10 additionally comprising: said logic circuit communicating with at least one of a group of sensing components consisting of a float switch, and pump load sensor, and an air pressure sensor of a pressure level inside said collection tank; and said logic circuit switching electrical power to energize said sump pump only if said at least one of said group of sensing components communicates sensory data indicating said fluid level in said collection tank is equal to or above said threshold level. 